Lehigh Judges Want To Talk -- To You

When lawyers become judges, it's often referred to as "ascending," like deities, to the bench.

But tomorrow night, Lehigh County judges will step down from their elevated spots in the courtroom, without their black robes, to talk with the public in the county's first "Meet Your Judges" forum.

"We hope it will help demystify judges and the courts," said Judge Edward D. Reibman, who is organizing the forum. "It will give people an opportunity to see us outside of the courtroom."

The forum will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the recital hall in the Baker Center for the Arts at Muhlenberg College, 24th and Chew streets, Allentown.

Similar forums have been held in other states and about a half dozen counties in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges encouraged judges to schedule forums to educate the public about the state's judicial system and to give people a chance to talk with and question judges in an informal, less intimidating setting.

The Lehigh County forum is being organized by the judges, the Allentown Area League of Women Voters and the county Bar Association.

They will explain the state's judicial system and the organization and work of the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas in the first part of the program. The second part will be a question-and-answer session.

Reibman said he hopes people will attend the program and ask the judges about what they do; complain, if they want to, about what they do, and discuss issues.

However, people who want to corner a judge and ask him about how he would rule on a controversial issue or why he ruled a certain way in a specific case may be disappointed.

People may air their opinions, and the judges will listen to praise or complaints, but they won't be able to respond to specific cases.

Rules of judicial conduct prohibit judges from commenting about how they would rule in certain cases.

As elected officials -- albeit for 10 years, longer than most officials' terms -- the judges want people to know them and their role in the justice system, Reibman said.

"It's a rare opportunity for the average person to come up to a judge and get something off their chest and get a better understanding of what we do," he added.

Likewise, the judges want to get a better understanding of the public's concerns about the courts.

If the program is successful, the judges may do it again, Reibman said.